Softbank Corp. is the number 3 cellphone company in Japan, but has a better track record. Originally a holding company with investments in Internet and telecom businesses, it bought Vodafone Japan in 2005 and turned it around. Softbank President Masayoshi Son said he is confident he can help improve Sprint’s profits.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has laid the groundwork for a turnaround — the company’s reputation for customer service has improved during his tenure. But his efforts haven’t had an immediate impact on profitability. Sprint has lost money for five years straight, and isn’t likely to reverse that trend in the next few years. On its own, the company would have a hard road ahead, as it pays for both a network revamp and $15.5 billion in iPhones from Apple.

Under the deal, Sprint shareholders can turn in 55 percent of their shares to Softbank in exchange for $7.30 per share.

“This is a transformative transaction for Sprint that creates immediate value for our stockholders, while providing an opportunity to participate in the future growth of a stronger, better capitalized Sprint going forward,” Hesse said.

The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies. It still needs approval from Sprint shareholders and U.S. regulators. Softbank said the transaction is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

Analysts say buying a foreign cellphone company makes little sense in terms of operational synergies. There’s little opportunity to improve service by combining networks or saving money by combining operations.

But Son said the U.S. and Japanese markets have much in common now that smartphones are all-important in both countries, and the two companies could benefit and learn from each other. By joining forces, Sprint and Softbank will become one of the world’s top smartphone carriers, gaining greater bargaining power with the manufacturers of the gadgets and network equipment suppliers.

Softbank was the first carrier to offer the iPhone in Japan. The iPhone has been such a hit in there that it has shaped Softbank’s brand image and helped it lure customers away from its two bigger rivals.

Son said Sprint and Softbank can also work together on faster speed “4G” mobile networks called LTE. Softbank recently bought smaller Japanese rival eAccess, largely to gain LTE networks.

Son is an unusually risk-tolerant and innovative executive in a corporate culture that tends to favor a staid conservative approach. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he was only 16 when he ventured alone to the United States.

“I am happy to be able to tell you today of my big comeback to the U.S.,” he said. “This is going to be an even bigger challenge.”

Son has made no secret that he has been looking abroad for new growth as the Japanese mobile market has been stagnant for years. Softbank has been an exception in racking up strong profit despite such stagnation, largely due to the popularity of the iPhone.

The deal is the largest foreign acquisition ever by a Japanese company, and illustrates how the strong yen, which is usually seen as a negative for export-reliant Japan, has boosted the overseas purchasing power of Japanese corporations as a stagnant domestic market pushes them to look abroad for growth.

The Sprint buy pushes Japan’s overseas acquisitions so far this year, including debt of the acquired companies, to over $100 billion, nearly double the same period last year, according to deal tracking company Dealogic.

Before Monday’s deal, the biggest overseas acquisition by a Japanese company was Japan Tobacco Inc.’s purchase of Gallaher Group of Great Britain in 2007 for about $19 billion.

The combination of Softbank and Sprint will tie with AT&T for world’s number 3 mobile company by revenue after China Mobile and Verizon, according to Softbank.

The deal leaves three of the four national U.S. wireless companies with complete or substantial foreign ownership. Vodafone Group PLC of Britain owns 45 percent of number 1 Verizon Wireless, and Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany owns T-Mobile USA outright. (end)

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